Loca's Thang: Some Notes...

...On Spain

40 years of Franco and hard Fascism
Franco is physically gone, but the country still bears his fingerprints, and his existence is very much felt here. (see below photo)

This is a plaza in Barrio Gótico which retains relics from la Guerra Civil, the war that divided Spain in two parts - For Franco and Against Franco. The damage on the walls is from cannons and people of a certain age are still reticent to speak of the war. It was something not talked about, completely forbidden. The people of the Franco era had "freedom," so long as they upheld what the government told them to believe.

Spain is now a "democratic monarchy" which is code for Obama-loving socialists
Meet José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

President of Spain.
Member of PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español - Spanish Socialist Workers Party).
Looks like Chris Noth from Sex and the City. (see below photo)

...On Catalunya

I have to separate them because they "just are different," as Montse would say.

Home of Montse.
...and her platypus

Poor little guy, you should have seen the look of him after he came out of the washing machine. But whatever, sometimes you just need to bathe your platypus. I understand.

Catalán is not jut a language, but THE language. The language "de puta madre." Yeah, that sounds bad, but that phrase means cool, off the heazy, if you will. This is the sign on the door to my apartment. Written in Catalán, made in Canada (it says so on the other side).

Home of both Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. We all know that Dalí was crazy (in a good way, of course) and Picasso was a bit of a womanizer. But Picasso redeemed himself by marrying Jacqueline and painting my, err her, portrait.